After emotion and pain, now is the time for tributes. A few days after the tragic disappearance of Kobe Bryant, the five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, who died in a helicopter accident on Sunday, many anonymous or sports stars have offered to pay tribute to the idol. Among these proposals, one met with great success.
For the past few hours, a petition has been circulating on the Internet and social networks to change the NBA logo in tribute to Kobe Bryant.
NBA: Petition to make Kobe Bryant the new NBA Logo - Sign the petition! https://t.co/jpFpFR0dlK via @ChangeFrance
- Jean Philippe Baguetto (@ LeBoulangerdu87) January 28, 2020More than 1.5 million people have already signed it in a few hours. And the counter keeps running. Making the best player of the season in 2008 the image of the prestigious North American championship would pay him an "eternal" tribute. Never forget it.
Many supporters on social networks proposed different attitudes, taking the player's most famous gestures, for the new logo.
Kobe Bryant changed the game.
Maybe it's time to change the @NBA logo.
RIP Black Mamba đź’” pic.twitter.com/ErDn6mIP5H
Everyone knows the NBA logo. One of the most famous and popular in the world, like the bitten apple for Apple or the decimal point for Nike. Since 1969, the prestigious North American basketball championship has been recognized around the world through its logo.
The latter represents, on a blue and red background, the white silhouette of Jerry West, NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers as a player (1972) and leader (6 times), ball in the left hand.
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Jerry West himself, who led Bryant to the Lakers in 1996, would not be opposed to this change. Close to the double NBA champion, he did not hide his pain at the announcement of his disappearance "I am speechless. I'm trying, I guess, to realize he's gone. It's like losing my son. I think of his family. I think of his deceased daughter, and seeing him with his daughters and his family, seeing the efforts he put into his academy, was something that most athletes never consider. He was going to have a legendary career outside of basketball, and it was taken away from him so quickly ... It is simply indescribable for me. "
Our lights will shine in purple and gold this evening as we pay tribute to basketball legend Kobe Bryant, an inspiration to millions across the globe who was taken too soon. Our hearts go out to all of the families, friends, and fans affected by this tragedy. # 824Forever pic.twitter.com/m84TbQ2d3y
- Empire State Building (@EmpireStateBldg) January 27, 2020Other proposals have been raised to pay tribute to the one who lived a few months in Mulhouse as a child. One of them is that the next All Star Game, on February 16 in Chicago, will be dedicated to it. The event, which brings together the best players in the League, would be renamed the “Kobe Bryant All Star weekend” and the teams would one wear the number 8 and the other number 24, the two figures made famous by Bryant under the Lakers' purple and gold tunic. During his career, he was selected 18 times for the All Star Game, a record.
Another even more symbolic would be to withdraw the number 24 from all NBA franchises. Dallas Maverick owner Mark Cuban has already announced that there will no longer be any players on his team who wear this number. It could be imitated by other franchises.
In addition, the Los Angeles derby between the Lakers and the Clippers, scheduled for Tuesday, has been postponed to a later date by the American League.